The Greatest Minor League Baseball Blog of All Time

Ain’t Nothin’ Better Than A Planned Escape

The offseason’s vice-like grip is rapidly slackening, and soon we will once again be in the midst of the five-month ultra-marathon that is THE SEASON.

In my case, this means that it’s time to hit the road in order to do some live-and-direct reporting from the Minor League frontlines. I made great strides in this regard last season, enjoying a “Southern Swing” before visiting my “Penn Pals” and then, finally, ending up in the “Heartland” (in addition to myriad other small and not-so-small excursions).

And now it’s time to do it again, to the extent that budget and sanity allow!

I have a few larger-scale excursions planned around newsworthy events, but much remains to be determined. And what I would like at this juncture is your input! Is your Minor League town a must-see destination? If so, why? I’m looking for all the things that make Minor League Baseball great — regional and/or ridiculous concession items, goofy contests, attention-getting promos, charming ballparks, eccentric fans and employees, and so on and so forth.

Another overlapping area in which I’d like your suggestions and invitations revolves around the idea of Doing Ballpark Jobs. I’d like to bring the Minor League experience to life by illuminating the work done by all sorts of stadium denizens — groundskeepers, vendors, food and beverage directors, scorekeepers, clubbies, you name it. And I’m all for serving as an intern for a homestand (or at least a series), so that’s something to consider if you’re a front office decision-maker in search of semi-competent labor of the cheapest kind — free!

My NYC location will of course make it easier to visit Northeast teams, but I am ready and willing to incorporate any kind of story into any kind of trip. So, again, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. No idea is too outlandish, everything is considered.

2011 marks my seventh season with MiLB.com and fourth writing this blog. To the extent I’ve had any success, it’s because of the enthusiastic responses I’ve received from those who work in the industry as well as committed Minor League fans. I intend for this ongoing dialogue to only keep growing, and am greatly looking forward to another season of non-stop innovations, oddities, absurdities, and gastronomical monstrosities. My writing can only ever be as good as what I have to write about, so thanks for the material thus far and keep it coming, keep it coming, keep it coming.

And tell me why I need to visit your town! In all likelihood, I want to go to there.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

twitter.com/bensbiz

I’ll be back soon with the usual array of Minor League news and notes. Rumor has it that another gigantic hamburger was unleashed upon the world Tuesday morning…

Related

18 Comments

Hi Ben,

Long time listener, first time caller.

I’m an NC resident, and last summer I hit all nine parks in the state. (All ten, if you count Charlotte, who play in SC.)

In central NC, you have an opportunity to visit all levels of minor league ball – the Rookie Burlington Royals, low A Greensboro Grasshoppers, high A Winston-Salem Dash, AA (for one more year) Carolina Mudcats, and AAA Durham Bulls – and they all lie basically along I-40 in a fairly short stretch.

The contrast among these teams, parks, players, and atmospheres is great to watch, especially while you hold the neighborhood pretty much constant. Watching rookie ball one night in Burlington and AAA ball the next night a half hour away in Durham is brilliant.

None of these clubs are known for ostentatious promotions or particular gluttony – I like to think it’s because the crowd is too discerning for that. (And I’d be wrong.) But the variety and easy access to all this baseball is a big reason why I make this my home.

Thanks, Scott. That’s a great angle — could go up the Minor League ladder from lowest to highest in a matter of days! And as much as I enjoy writing about ridiculous promos and food and whatnot, that is certainly not a prerequisite when it comes to visiting. All that’s needed is a game.

Ben,
I’m heading a short while down 75 to Lexington to take in a couple Hagerstown road games vs. the Legends in Bryce Harper’s anticipated Minor League 1st full season. I know later in April the Suns visit the West Virginia Power and potentially a #1 vs. #2 showdown with Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon. And, possibly a Harper/Stetson Allie showdown as well…so that could make for some great baseball!

Will do, Ben! I’m planning on doing live Twitter, Facebook updates during the games & am hoping to stream some video live if my 4g phone cooperates haha. I’m also working on a painting of Harper if anyone is interested: http://www.cincysportsart.com/harper.html

NC is definitely the mecca of minor league baseball. I took a MiLB road trip down there from Rhode Island last summer and hit Durham, Burlington, and Greensboro for games. It was a great time. Plus, plenty of Chick-Fil-A restaurants in the area! Talk about win/win!

Thanks for all you do, Ben. The Minors are the best and you do a great job of covering them. My trip this years is PawSox-NH Fisher Cats-Portland Sea Dogs-*BoSox*-Rock Cats. Should be fun. Also gearing up for opening day with the Whitecaps next weekend (if it doesn’t snow).
–Mike
‘Minoring In Baseball’

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.